Films / January 8

My Octopus Teacher (2020) / Suspicion (1941) / Of Human Bondage (1934) /  Silver Linings Playbook (2012) / The Spider And The Fly (1949) / Mank (2020) / Waterloo Road (1944)

My Octopus Teacher (1940) Immaculately made and strikingly visualized, a damaged naturalist finds a form of redemption in the depths of a kelp forest through a relationship with an octopus. Even if the characterization tends towards projection, the slight documentary gains a surprising emotional heft and meaning.

Suspicion (1941) Uncertain thriller that places tender Joan Fontaine in the hands of rakish and perhaps muderous Cary Grant. The genial atmosphere and languid pacing subdue any sense of gnawing tension, though the end section builds up a head of unease. Final revelations can't help but feel a letdown.

Of Human Bondage (1934) More of a historical curiosity than a cohesive narrative, fragments of a storyline see Bette Davis' self-destructive waitress threatens to drag down Leslie Howard's idealistic Englishman. Isolated visuals and scenes maintain some potency.

Silver Linings Playbook (2012) Spirited performances and intelligent filmmaking embolden the drama and laughs as Jennifer Lewis and Bradley Cooper's damaged souls find a sense of resolution. Snappy and ragged, languid and propulsive, a romantic comedy in the best sense with a rousing finale.

The Spider And The Fly (1949) Always intriguing, often tense, a character-driven piece in which a romantic triangle underpins the manoeuvres between Paris police chief and an artful thief. Atmospherically lit and designed, the World War I setting provides a rich background and unexpected narrative twists.

Mank (2020) Sumptuously shot and precisely framed, glistening monochrome images and swirling music provide an immersive ride in 30s Hollywood. Yet nothing feels authentic, the widescreen views as uncomfortable as a miscast Gary Oldman. Amanda Seyfried is a piercing presence.

Waterloo Road (1944) Crisply shot and highly evocative in its south London locations, the slight story features John Mills going AWOL to rescue his wife from the greasy hands of Stewart Granger's archetypal spiv. Told with swift humour and wartime message, there's also an appealing grittiness.